The Search for Modern China

The Search for Modern China Jonathan D. Spence

It’s always interesting to go back and read books that touch on current affairs from a generation ago to see how well they managed to capture the real meaning of what was going on. Jonathan Spence’s studious (if a little dry) history of modern China ends with the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, and leaves us with the country at a crossroad. Surprisingly, the party’s bet that dramatic economic growth and technological transformation could be achieved without fundamental political change has thus far turned out to be a winner. Thus far.